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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29643132">Remembrances</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NobodyKnowsMeAtAll/pseuds/NobodyKnowsMeAtAll'>NobodyKnowsMeAtAll</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The West Wing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 20:33:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,708</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29643132</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NobodyKnowsMeAtAll/pseuds/NobodyKnowsMeAtAll</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>CJ travels back to the DC area to meet Danny's family, but will her past come back to haunt her?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Danny Concannon/C. J. Cregg</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Back Again</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Disclaimer - I do not own these characters. This is just for fun. </p><p>Chapter One</p><p>CJ glanced at Danny nervously from across the front stoop of a modest suburban house. It was a beautiful fall day in Northern Virginia. The air felt crisp and awakened every inch of her body - as, by the way, did the man next to her. </p><p>Danny paused to carefully look CJ up and down before knocking on the door.</p><p>CJ felt his eyes burning through her. Even after nine months, the intensity of Danny Concannon still got to her sometimes.  </p><p>She broke eye contact and motioned to the gorgeous orange and yellow hues coating a dogwood tree in the front yard  “I do miss the trees in the fall,” she sighed.</p><p>Danny raised his eyebrows at her deflection of his attention, but played along: “I don’t know, I think we may be getting a little old for shoveling snow in the WInter.” </p><p>“Speak for yourself! Although maybe we should move to Tampa before your arthritis knocks you off your butt and straight into a nursing home wheelchair.” </p><p>“Hey!” Danny cooed in mock offense.</p><p>“By the way, try not to speak ill of the old while you're visiting my sister will you? She’s a good three years older than me.”</p><p>“And stuck in a moderately cool climate no less,” CJ deadpanned.  </p><p> CJ took a moment to process where she was. It would have been so much easier to meet Danny’s family in her press secretary days, when there was still so much love and light and hope inside her - and when she was able to charm the pants off a gaggle of hard-nosed reporters using nothing but her witts and a toothy grin. </p><p>It was hard to not feel like something was permanently broken inside of her after years without enough sustenance, sleep, or human contact. Silently, she hoped that Danny was an anomaly, and that his family didn’t possess some uncanny gene giving them an ability to see right through her.</p><p>As Danny heard footsteps approaching the door he leaned out to kiss CJ’s cheek, and as if reading her mind, whispered, “They’re gonna love you” in her ear, and flashed a reassuring smile. </p><p>“Uncle Danny!” sang the delighted screeches of red headed children as they flocked to their uncle at the front door. </p><p>_______________________</p><p>Several hours later, CJ sat at a cozy kitchen table with Danny's sister, Cara. Along with her children,  Cara shared Danny 's fiery hair and bright eyes, and despite Danny's joke... looked anything but old.</p><p>"You know…" said Cara thoughtfully, "I can't believe we haven't met sooner. Danny even took the kids on a tour of the White House a few times back when he worked for the Post. With the amount of time he spent talking about you, I'm surprised we never bumped into one another." </p><p>"I had to be pretty stealth to maintain a moment's peace around so many reporters.... especially your brother," CJ added with a grin. </p><p>"I know how that goes."</p><p>CJ glanced awkwardly around the room at the soft painted tones and Legos strewn around the room. The room emanated the same warmth and light that Cara did. For a moment, she felt a slight pang of jealousy. Who knew that while she was risking her sanity saving the world in the White House, a thirty minute drive away there was a calm retreat like this...hiding just out of reach. </p><p>"It must have been nice to have Danny so close by when he was working at the post.'</p><p>"Yeah, well…" Cara shrugged, "when he was able to break free from work. "</p><p>CJ nodded. If there was one characteristic that she and Danny shared the most, it was a penchant for whole heartedly and single minded throwing themselves into their work, sometimes as if their whole lives depended on it. </p><p>"So...Danny says you're enjoying your work for the Hollis Foundation? " </p><p>"Yes, we've already made big inroads into building infrastructure. Right now, though, we have a small break. There's not so much we can do until the lawyers work a few things out on the ground, and fortunately international law isn't my specialty."  </p><p>"Funny, you don't usually think of lawyers as the people you send in to pave the way for progress in a war torn country." Cara said with a familiar smirk. </p><p>"That you do not," CJ replied. </p><p>CJ found her eyes wandering again. This time, they settled comfortably on Danny, fully engaged in building legos with his nephew Peter on the living room floor. She had seen Danny interact with children before, but this was different.</p><p> Peter hung on his uncle's every word, and Danny listened attentively to his nephew, as if he was interviewing a head of state and not a sweet, disheveled eight year old boy. CJ sat there for a moment, completely transfixed at the scene before her. </p><p>"Would you like some tea, CJ?"</p><p>A moment passed. </p><p>"CJ? " </p><p>CJ finally snapped out of her trance, CJ turned to see Cara's expressions filled with gentle laughter. </p><p>"I got to tell you, it's been a long time since I saw anyone look at my brother like that." </p><p>CJ’s face turned a soft shade of crimson. </p><p>Danny met CJ’s eyes as Peter ran to show his mom the creation he had been working on. Danny walked to her and ran his hand down her arm, before grabbing hold of her hand, then kissing her quickly on the lips. </p><p>"Ewwwww, get a room, would ya, Danny?" Cara said with mock disgust. </p><p>Danny just grinned. </p><p>"So, as much as I would love to stay up and build with this big man until the break of dawn, I should probably turn in for the night if I want to be able to move around without embarrassing myself tomorrow morning." </p><p>"Don't worry, Danny, everyone here has seen you embarrass yourself before," Cara replied before pointing up the staircase and smiling. "You can have Emmarie's room upstairs. I thought the girls could share for a few days." </p><p>Danny gave his sister a quick hug, and they all said their good nights before he and CJ headed to bed. </p><p>"You did good," Danny whispered lovingly  to CJ as they climbed up the stairs. And just like it did every time he looked at her, CJ’s heart involuntarily skipped a beat. </p><p>_________________</p><p>CJ awoke to the smell of something familiar: something she couldn't quite put her finger on. It was unsettling. She tried to will herself out of bed to find Danny...find someone who could help tired brain make sense of what was happening. Her body felt heavy, too heavy to move properly. She could feel bile rise up in her throat. And taste something sickeningly sweet...was it blood? She felt the presence of something ominous staring at her from somewhere just out of her line of vision. </p><p>She opened her mouth to scream, for Carol, Toby, her dad? Anyone who could hear her, but no sound came out of her mouth. She was stuck, paralyzed by fear in a living nightmare. </p><p>End of chapter one…</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Small Forshadowing of Things to Come</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter Two - </p><p>"CJ?"</p><p>A voice faded in and out, speaking to her somewhere from the darkness. </p><p>"CJ?" </p><p> She woke with a start, gasping for air as the room gradually settled. "CJ, you ok?" A concerned Daniel Concannon hovered over her.. </p><p>"Yeah...I..." </p><p>CJ’s voice trailed off as she quickly maneuvered out of bed, making sure that all her limbs were still functioning. </p><p>"CJ?" Danny raised his eyebrows. </p><p>"It was just a bad dream," CJ reassured him before quickly pulling on a pair of jeans and an orange knit sweater and leaning down to give Danny a quick kiss before turning on her heels towards the door. Something still wasn't right, she could feel it deep down to the core of her bones. </p><p>Danny reached for CJ's arm to embrace her, but instead caught only a single trembling hand as CJ's other arm reached for the door.</p><p>CJ paused momentarily at his touch. </p><p>"CJ, it's not like you to be spooked by a bad dream." </p><p>"I'll be fine," CJ said dismissively as she threw on her shoes</p><p>"CJ," Danny said in a firm whisper, "you're shaking," </p><p>CJ looked down at her hands. It was almost as if she was looking down at someone else. Her body seemed foreign to her. Danny was right, it had been since Rosslyn since she had had such a visceral reaction.</p><p>CJ froze...what was she doing? Sprinting from the house being chased by imaginary ghosts? Could the infamous Claudia Jean Cregg really face down the situation room, be shot at twice, and then be taken down by one bad dream? She sat down on the bed, determined to face down whatever the hell was going on inside her head before it took over. Danny enveloped her in his arms, pulling her down onto the bed to nuzzle her neck softly with his beard. </p><p>"Must have been some dream," Danny stated as he reached to stroke her hand.</p><p>"Yeah," CJ sighed, as she closed her eyes and leaned further into him, resting her forehead on his chest. She kept her eyes closed tight as she gradually felt Danny's heartbeat slow and his breathing become deeper.</p><p>But this morning wouldn't be a morning when she could will herself back to sleep with the sheer force of her stubborn will, so she gently crawled out of bed and pulled out her laptop. If she had to be awake, she might as well get a bit of work done while everyone else was sleeping. She pulled her laptop from a bag on the floor and started to slowly browse through her messages. </p><p>The first few were nothing requiring immediate action: some paperwork and e-signatures, a letter from Toby updating her on the twins. Half way down through the screen she saw an email from an address she didn't recognize. Perhaps one of Frank Hillis's people she didn't yet know.  She opened the email and attachment. Her heart stopped. </p><p>It was Danny, and her...standing outside of Cara's house the day before looking at the fall leaves. She briefly smiled at the sweet moment she shared with Danny, but then the realization dawned on her: Where would a picture like this even come from? The two of them were walking around the DC suburbs, not going to a public event in the district. CJ's privacy had been violated so many times before s press secretary and chief of staff, but this was something worse, something terrifying. She studied the picture again, and underneath noticed, in unassuming Times New Roman letters, "Die, bitch." </p><p>So simple, so crude. But now the words were almost screaming at her as she felt her heart beating through her skin. </p><p>And then another realization hit her...</p><p>Oh...God! They were at Cara's house, where Danny's niece and nephews were. CJ thought about the sweet scenes she had witnessed yesterday, a home filled with love and joy. How could she live with herself if something happened to those kids? The one thing she knew for certain was that she needed to get out of the house, and quickly, before she put someone else at risk.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Don't Bolt</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter Three - Don’t Bolt</p>
<p>Two weeks earlier…</p>
<p>When CJ woke up, she found herself warm and comfortable surrounded by the unmistakable scent of Danny. She felt his fingers tracing circles under her shirt and around her back, then teasing the hem of her jeans. </p>
<p>"Play nice, Daniel" she said with a smile</p>
<p>"Hey, I'm always nice"</p>
<p>"Yes, but when you do that I want you to be very, very nice, and I'm not sure we have time for that right now."</p>
<p>Danny smirked and moved closer. "Would you say that you have an insatiable desire for niceness?' </p>
<p>CJ wasn't sure whether or not to whack him or jump him. Instead she settled for a kiss on the cheek before sliding out of bed and heading towards the shower to get ready for work.</p>
<p>CJ turned back at Danny and grinned. “I suppose you got me there. I know I’m a lot for one man to handle.” </p>
<p>“Don’t worry. I know my looks are deceiving, but you got to remember that I have the stamina of a man half my age. I got ya, babe”</p>
<p>CJ laughed a full throated laugh and giggled as Danny followed her into the bathroom and placed kisses up and down her her neck. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“</p>
<p>Present Day</p>
<p>"Don't bolt."</p>
<p>CJ looked up wide-eyed to see Danny sitting up in bed staring at her with the most sincere expression she had ever seen. When he began to talk it came out firm but sweet.</p>
<p>"I know that look in your eyes, CJ. I don't know what's on that phone, or what happened to make you look like you just pushed the wrong button and created nuclear winter, but I know that your first instinct is to run…" He paused as he stood up and walked towards her…"Don't run away from me CJ." </p>
<p>Without breaking his gaze, Danny walked over to her and gently grabbed the phone from her. His whole body stiffened as he looked at the screen. </p>
<p>"Who sent this to you?"</p>
<p>"I don't know." CJ’s voice was barely audible. </p>
<p>"CJ, who the hell sent this to you?" The sweetness in Danny's voice was gone, and it was replaced by something else, something more primal. CJ felt anger bubbling inside of her. </p>
<p>"Damn it, Danny! How the hell am I supposed to know who's stalking me? I didn't exactly order a stalker, two day delivery guaranteed." </p>
<p>Danny froze. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, honey. It just surprised me, that's all. We need to call the police." </p>
<p>"I have to go,”  CJ said forcefully</p>
<p>Danny instinctively reached for her hand, trying to pull her close before he lost his chance.</p>
<p>"I HAVE to go, Danny! It's not safe for you or your family so long as I'm here." </p>
<p>"Just give me 20 minutes, I can fix this". </p>
<p>"And how exactly are your journalistic powers going to keep you from getting shot, Danny?" </p>
<p>Silence punctuated her words and permeated through the room. </p>
<p>Danny stood frozen, trying to think of what to say or do next to keep the love of his life safe. He stared at her pacing back and forth in small laps across the room. </p>
<p>"I have to go, Danny,” she said one more time, resolutely, more to herself than to him. </p>
<p>"Ok, but I'm coming with you. I may not be a bodyguard, but I sure as hell am not going to let you go out there on your own. Can you drive while I work my useless journalistic powers?” </p>
<p>They both jumped into the air as the door creaked open. </p>
<p>Cara stared at them. "What on Earth has gotten into you guys? We can hear the yelling from downstairs. You’re scaring the hell out of the kids." </p>
<p>CJ couldn't bear to meet her eyes. </p>
<p>Danny stepped a bit closer to his sister. "I'm so sorry, Cara, but we have a problem, and it may not be the worst thing in the world for you and the kids to get out of town for a few days." </p>
<p>CJ had to give her credit, she had one hell of a poker face. Cara stood silently as Danny explained the situation. </p>
<p>When he was done talking, she looked at Danny questioningly. "I get that this is disturbing, but are you sure the best course of action isn't just to call the police? We don't know how dangerous this guy is yet."</p>
<p>CJs head shot up. "I don't think that's wise." </p>
<p>"Why not?" </p>
<p>"This has happened before...Me being stalked I mean. And it didn't just go away, not without a secret service detail." </p>
<p>"And it could be the same guy?" </p>
<p>"I have no idea. It's a possibility." CJ gazed blankly out the window. How had it been less than 24 hours ago when her biggest worry was not coming off as too emotionally stilted in front of Danny's family? Today she would settle for not being responsible for children being harmed. </p>
<p>"Ok, what do you two need me to do?"</p>
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